If you’re looking for an edge for your enterprise, look no further than your team: Motivated employees can give your business a major advantage.

There are many ways for women business leaders to inspire your team, but every method has a single goal – to build an engaged workforce that delivers the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Leadership guru Holly Landau outlines 5 creative ways to effectively engage employees in a recent American Express OPEN Forum article:

Give employees a voice: Front-line employees are in touch with customer needs, so they’re a great source of suggestions on how to increase customer satisfaction. And when you ask for their input, employees feel a greater sense of ownership and tend to display more commitment.

Bring out your employees’ inner entrepreneur: Do your customers have unmet needs? Again, your staff may be aware of opportunities that you’ve missed. Engage employees by asking them to identify products or services customers need that you aren’t currently providing.

Engage employees in efficiency and sustainability initiatives: Ask your team for their ideas about how to improve operational efficiency and reduce your company’s carbon footprint. Going green can benefit the planet and your business. And by soliciting staff input, you make them part of the solution.

Ask open-ended questions: Women business leaders are accustomed to solving problems – finding answers is an important part of what you do. But true leadership also entails bringing out the best in your people by asking questions. When you ask open-ended questions, the resulting discussions help your team discover new ways to help your business thrive. It also elevates employee engagement.

Coach and mentor all team members: Whether full- or part-time, traditional employee or contract resource, all team members need clear direction. It’s crucial that you make sure all team members understand their role, know your expectations and receive frequent feedback.

By asking your employees for their input, encouraging them to serve as customer advocates and making sure they understand what is expected of them, you can build and sustain a highly engaged workforce that will give your business a competitive advantage.

2 Responses to “5 Creative Ways for Women Business Leaders to Engage Employees”

We are raised to think about first impressions, and making sure the first one is a good one. I think though we talk about it more than we model it or reward it. I think we would keep more clients and do better business when we keep that along with stopping to learn from others in mind.

[...] leave out of your business plan’s mix. Here are some more blogs on team-building to consider: “5 Creative Ways Women Business Leaders to Engage Employees,” and “10 Essential Team-Building Tips for Women Business [...]